South Florida adds nearly 3.9K COVID-19 cases as case positivity rate jumps again

Image via AP.

The COVID-19 case positivity rate spiked again in South Florida’s tri-county area, with all three major counties posting a positivity rate of 12% or higher.

That metric has mostly hovered around 8% or 9% in each county over the last few weeks. That number still is not ideal — health experts say the share of positive tests should be below 5%. But the overall trend has been downward.

Friday’s data may throw a hitch into that trajectory, but it’s unclear. In recent weeks, there have been significant one-day surges in the positivity rate, only for that number to drop back down to lower levels. And Friday’s Department of Health report showed a large drop in testing, which means the data may not be representative of a permanent shift. Additional reports through the weekend will give a better idea as to the severity of the virus’s spread.

Overall, the region’s tri-county area — consisting of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties — recorded 3,875 additional COVID-19 cases Friday. That puts the region over the 644,000 mark since the pandemic began.

Friday’s report saw another 36 deaths reported in South Florida. In total, 9,054 people have died after contracting the virus.

Here are some of the weekly numbers for the previous three weeks throughout the South Florida tri-county area:

Miami-Dade

— Jan. 8-14: 49 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 28 newly-reported deaths per day, 2,540 new confirmed cases per day, 9.3% positivity rate

— Jan. 15-21: 39 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 21 newly-reported deaths per day, 2,164 new confirmed cases per day, 9.2% positivity rate

— Jan. 22-28: 37 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 20 newly-reported deaths per day, 1,899 new confirmed cases per day, 8.1% positivity rate

Broward

— Jan. 8-14: 25 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 7 newly-reported deaths per day, 1,203 new confirmed cases per day, 8.7% positivity rate

— Jan. 15-21: 22 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 8 newly-reported deaths per day, 1,048 new confirmed cases per day, 8.6% positivity rate

— Jan. 22-28: 24 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 9 newly-reported deaths per day, 967 new confirmed cases per day, 8.1% positivity rate

Palm Beach

— Jan. 8-14: 13 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 11 newly-reported deaths per day, 843 new confirmed cases per day, 9% positivity rate

— Jan. 15-21: 21 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 9 newly-reported deaths per day, 688 new confirmed cases per day, 8.8% positivity rate

— Jan. 22-28: 15 newly-reported hospitalizations per day, 12 newly-reported deaths per day, 659 new confirmed cases per day, 8.5% positivity rate